The latitudinal distribution of carbon monoxide across the pacific from California to Antarctica

The results of a research study of the carbon monoxide concentration from California to 90° S, Antarctica are presented. The data both extend and support other research studies of the latitudinal distribution of carbon monoxide in that higher concentrations are evident over the Northern Hemisphere than over the Southern Hemisphere. Carbon monoxide concentrations range between 50 to 60 ppb with a few peaks into the 60s in the latitudinal area south of the ITCZ and values of 80 ppb or higher at latitudes north of Hawaii. A comparison is also made of carbon monoxide and ozone concentrations along the flight tract between California and Antarctica, over the Ellsworth Mountains of Antarctica, and between 78° S and the South Pole. These ozone-carbon monoxide data show statistically significant negative correlations in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere over Antarctica. It is believed that this is a good indication of mixing across the tropopause.     

Methane,carbon monoxide and light non-methane hydrocarbon emissions from African savanna burnings during the FOS/DECAFE experiment

Atmospheric samples from savanna burnings were collected in the Ivory Coast during two campaigns in January 1989 and January 1991. About 30 nonmethane hydrocarbons from C₂ to C₆, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide and methane were measured from the background and also at various distances from the burning. Concentrations in the fire plume reached ppmv levels for C₂-C₄ hydrocarbons, and 5300, 500 and 93 ppmv for CO₂, CO and CH₄ respectively. The excess in the mixing ratios of these gases above their background level is used to derive emission factors relative to CO and CO₂. For the samples collected immediately in the fire plume, a differentiation between high and low combustion efficiency conditions is made by considering the CO/CO₂ ratio. Ethene (C₂H₄), acetylene (C₂H₂), ethane (C₂H₆) and propene (C₃H₆) are the major NMHC produced in the flaming stage, whereas a different pattern with an increasing contribution of alkanes is observed in samples typical of post flaming processes. A strong correlation between methane and carbon monoxide suggests that these compounds are produced during the same stage of the combustion. In samples collected at a distance from the fire and integrated over a period of 30 minutes, the composition is very similar to that of flaming. NMHC/CO₂ is of the order of 0.7%, CH₄/CO₂ of the order of 0.4% and CO/CO₂ of the order of 6.3%. From this study, a global production by African savanna fires is derived: 65 Tg of CO-C, 4.2 Tg of CH₄-C and 6.7 Tg of NMHC-C. Whereas acetylene can be used as a conservative tracer of the fire plumes, only ethene, propene and butenes can be considered in terms of their direct photochemical impact.     

Spectroscopic measurements of atmospheric carbon monoxide and methane. 1: latitudinal distribution

The results of spectroscopic total column measurements of CO and CH₄ at different points of the Northern and Southern Hemispheres in 1970–1985, are reported. Seasonal cycles of CO are evident for all the sites. The Northern Hemispheric long-term positive trend of CO seems to be 1.5–2% per year. In the Southern Hemisphere, temporal increasing was not detected and a possible upper limit for it is about 0.6% per year. Methane concentration in the Northern Hemisphere increases at a rate of 1.2% per year.     

The tropospheric distribution of formaldehyde during TROPOZ II

A series of 149 measurements of the HCHO mixing ratio were made between 0 and 10 km altitude and 70° N to 60° S latitude during TROPOZ II. The data show a vertical decrease of the HCHO mixing ratio with altitude at all latitudes and a broad latitudinal maximum in the HCHO mixing ratio between 30° N and 30° S at all altitudes. The measured mixing ratios of HCHO are considerably higher than those expected from CH₄ oxidation alone, but agree broadly with the average latitude by altitude distribution of HCHO derived by a 2D model including emissions of C₁–C₇ hydrocarbons. A number of the regional scale deviations of the measured HCHO distribution from the average modelled one can be explained in terms of the local wind field.     

On the variability and correlation of surface ozone and carbon monoxide observed in Hong Kong using trajectory and regression analyses

This paper investigates, the variability and correlation of surface ozone (Os) and carbon monoxide (CO) observed at Cape D'Aguilar in Hong Kong from 1 January 1994 to 31 December 1995. Statistical analysis shows that the average O3 and CO mixing ratios during the two years are 32±17ppbv and 305±191 ppbv, respectively. The O3/CO ratio ranges from 0.05 to 0.6 ppbv/ppbv with its frequency peaking at 0.15. The raw dataset is divided into six groups using backward trajectory and cluster analyses. For data assigned to the same trajectory type, three groups are further sorted out based on CO and NOX mixing ratios. The correlation coefficients and slopes of O3/CO for the 18 groups are calculated using linear regression analysis. Finally, five kinds of air masses with different chemical features are identified: continental background (CB), marine background (MB), regional polluted continental (RPC), perturbed marine (P*M), and local polluted (LP) air masses. Further studies indicate that O3 and CO in the conti     

The flux of charcoal to the troposphere during the period of agricultural burning in Panama

Although extensive areas of forests and grasslands are burned in the tropics, relatively little scientific attention has been focused on this phenomenon. In order to determine the land area burned and estimate the charcoal (elemental or graphitic carbon) produced, I monitored agricultural burning in a 1145 km² area in central Panama during the 1981 dry season. Over 10% of the land surface was burned in that year. Charcoal concentrations in the aerosol were also measured and reached values of 3.1 gC/m³ during the peak in burning. Off-peak values of aerosol charcoal are less than 1 gC/m³. The high charcoal concentration reflects the massive amounts of vegetational burning occurring in the area.The charcoal advected by the air mass flowing over the area has been estimated using a box model. Assuming an average aerosol concentration of charcoal of 1 gC/m³ for a three-month burning period, a 2 km atmospheric mixed layer, a 14 km/h wind velocity to the south, and a 150 km wide zone across the western Gulf of Panama watershed, I estimate that, during the dry season, 9×10⁹ g charcoal are mobilized by the troposphere. If 4.1×10¹² g phytomass are annually burned in this region, then the charcoal emission factor to the troposphere is 2.2×10^–3.     

The distribution of acetaldehyde in the lower troposphere during TROPOZ II

A series of 72 measurements of the acetaldehyde (CH₃CHO) mixing ratio were made in the lower troposphere during TROPOZ II. These measurements are the first ever made of the background level of this trace gas in the free troposphere. The data show a vertical decrease of the CH₃CHO mixing ratio with increasing altitude and indicate higher CH₃CHO concentrations in the Northern Hemisphere — in general agreement with a model-derived average CH₃CHO distribution. Deviations of the observed CH₃CHO mixing ratios from the modelled mean distribution are correlated with similar deviations in the corresponding HCHO mixing ratios.